Training for Today: Cross-train for 50 minutes
Devotion: Tearing Down the Walls
In our last devotion, we discussed the concept of impression management. You’re certainly not alone if you plead guilty to managing others’ impressions of you, and you’re certainly not alone if you’ve built some pretty serious walls around you in the process!
Today’s devotion is inspired by the lyrics in Tenth Avenue North’s song, “Healing Begins”. Ponder some of the lyrics for a few moments:
So you thought you had to keep this up
All the work that you do
So we think that you’re good
And you can’t believe it’s not enough
All the walls you built up
Are just glass from the outside
So let ‘em fall down
There’s freedom waiting in the sound
When you let your walls fall to the ground
We’re here now
This is where the healing begins
This is where the healing starts
When you come to where you’re broken within
The light meets the dark
The light meets the dark
The purpose of this song is to open our eyes to the people around us who see our pain and want to offer support. Galatians 6:2 says, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Carrying each other’s burdens is an act of spiritual love and care! When we maintain the walls around us, we deny others the opportunity to serve God in this way.
As Christians, we have the privilege of belonging to a family of believers who can help us carry the weight of our burdens. But, that privilege is ours only through Jesus Christ, the One who carried the burden of all of our sins. Through His innocent suffering and death, we were marked as a member of His family.
So, no matter how high, tear down those walls that you’ve built around you, that you might take advantage of God’s blessing of fellowship.
Prayer
Dear Lord, help me to tear down the walls that I’ve used to protect myself emotionally. Open my eyes to the people you’ve put in my life that want to help and support me during this difficult time. Thank you for the blessing of Christian fellowship! Amen.
It's amazing how this devotion was written especially for me today. I was cleaning at church this afternoon, and when a couple of my friends asked, "How are you?" I didn't answer their question or I said, "Great!" It's so difficult for me to talk to others. Why is that? Part of the reason, I think, is that I assume that they think I should "feel better" after 5 months, and that's so unfair of me. After I leave, I have a complete meltdown in the car, because I didn't feel comfortable talking to anyone. I have such a difficult time asking for help. I have to remember that my friends are here to help and want to help. I've been denying my friends the opportunity to serve God, and I didn't realize it. Thank you again for this devotion.
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